The present invention is directed to a dual phase structured (ferrite and martensite) steel sheet product and a method of producing the same.
Applications of high strength steel sheets to automotive parts, electric apparatus, building components and machineries are currently increasing. Among these high strength steels, dual phase steel, which possess microstructures of martensite islands embedded in a ferrite matrix, is attracting more and more attention due to such dual phase steel having a superior combination of the properties of high strength, excellent formability, continuous yielding, low yield strength/tensile strength ratio and/or high work hardening. Particularly with respect to automotive parts, martensite/ferrite dual phase steels, because of these properties, can improve vehicle crashworthiness and durability, and also can be made thin to help to reduce vehicle weight as well. Therefore, martensite/ferrite dual phase steels help to improve vehicle fuel efficiency and vehicle safety.
The previous research and developments in the field of dual phase steel sheets have resulted in several methods for producing dual phase steel sheets, many of which are discussed below.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0084966A1 to Ikeda et al. discloses a dual phase steel sheet having low yield ratio, and excellence in the balance for strength-elongation and bake hardening properties. The steel contains 0.01-0.20 mass % carbon, 0.5 or less mass % silicon, 0.5-3.0 mass % manganese, 0.06 or less mass % aluminum, 0.15 or less mass % phosphorus, and 0.02 or less mass % sulfur. The method of producing this steel sheet includes hot rolling and continuous annealing or galvanization steps. The hot rolling step includes a step of completing finish rolling at a temperature of (Aγ3-50)° C., meaning (Arr3-50)° C., or higher, and a step of cooling at an average cooling rate of 20° C. per second (° C./s) or more down to the Ms point (defined by Ikeda et al. as the matrix phase of tempered martensite) or lower, or to the Ms point or higher and the Bs point (defined by Ikeda et al. as the matrix phase of tempered bainite) or lower, followed by coiling. The continuous annealing step includes a step of heating to a temperature of the A1 point or higher and the A3 point or lower, and a step of cooling at an average cooling rate of 3° C./s or more down to the Ms point or lower, and, optionally, a step of further applying averaging at a temperature from 100 to 600° C.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,584 to Nagataki et al. is directed to a hot dip galvanized steel sheet, which is produced by rough rolling a steel, finish rolling the rough rolled steel at a temperature of Ar3 point or more, coiling the finish rolled steel at a temperature of 700° C. or less, and hot dip galvanizing the coiled steel at a pre-plating heating temperature of Ac1 to Ac3. A continuous hot dip galvanizing operation is performed by soaking a pickled strip at a temperature of 750 to 850° C., cooling the soaked strip to a temperature range of 600° C. or less at a cooling rate of 1 to 50° C./s, hot dip galvanizing the cooled strip, and cooling the galvanized strip so that the residence time at 400 to 600° C. is within 200 seconds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,426 to Kobayashi et al. relates to a high tensile hot dip zinc coated steel plate having a composition comprising 0.05-0.20 mass % carbon, 0.3-1.8 mass % silicon, 1.0-3.0 mass % manganese, and iron as the balance. The steel is subjected to a primary step of primary heat treatment and subsequent rapid cooling to the martensite transition temperature point or lower, a secondary step of secondary heat treatment and subsequent rapid cooling, and a tertiary step of galvanizing treatment and rapid cooling, so as to obtain 20% or more by volume of tempered martensite in the steel structure.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,708,748 (Divisional) and 4,615,749 (Parent), both to Satoh et al., disclose a cold rolled dual phase structure steel sheet, which consists of 0.001-0.008 weight % carbon, not more than 1.0 weight % silicon, 0.05-1.8 weight % manganese, not more than 0.15 weight % phosphorus, 0.01-0.10 weight % aluminum, 0.002-0.050 weight % niobium and 0.0005-0.0050 weight % boron. The steel sheet is manufactured by hot and cold rolling a steel slab with the above chemical composition and continuously annealing the resulting steel sheet in such a manner that the steel sheet is heated and soaked at a temperature from a→γ transformation point to 1000° C. and then cooled at an average rate of not less than 0.5° C./s but less than 20° C./s in a temperature range of from the soaking temperature to 750° C., and subsequently at an average cooling rate of not less than 20° C./s in a temperature range of from 750° C. to not more than 300° C.
All of the above patents and the above patent publication are related to the manufacture of dual phase steel sheets using a continuous annealing method. Compared to batch annealing, continuous annealing can provide steel sheets which exhibit more uniform mechanical properties. However, the formability and drawability of continuous annealed steel sheets are generally inferior to the formability and drawability of steel sheets produced by batch annealing. A need is thus still called for to develop a new manufacturing method to produce dual phase steel sheets. This appears particularly important in North America, where a number of steel manufacturers have no continuous annealing production lines to perform controlled cooling.
The present invention permits the use of a batch annealing method, which greatly improves the ability of producing cold rolled steel sheets, by providing less demanding processing requirements than continuous annealing methods, and advantageously provides a steel sheet that exhibits improvements over the prior dual phase steel sheet. The present batch annealing method can be carried out by most steel manufacturers using a facility that is less process restrictive and dramatically less capital cost than the continuous annealing facilities required by prior dual phase steels.
The present invention is a steel sheet having a dual phase microstructure formed by hot rolling and cooling the steel sheet, comprising a martensite phase less than about 35% by volume embedded in a ferrite matrix phase of at least 50% by volume. The steel sheet also has a composition comprising carbon in a range from about 0.01% by weight to about 0.2% by weight, manganese in a range from about 0.3% by weight to about 3% weight, silicon in a range from about 0.05% by weight to about 2% by weight, chromium and nickel in combination from about 0.2% by weight to about 2% by weight, where chromium if present is in a range from about 0.1% by weight to about 2% by weight, and nickel if present is in an amount up to 1%, aluminum in a range from about 0.01% by weight to about 0.10% by weight and nitrogen less than about 0.02% by weight, where the ratio of Al/N is more than 2, and calcium in a range from about 0.0005% by weight to about 0.01% by weight, with the balance of the composition comprising iron and incidental ingredients. Additionally, the steel sheet comprises properties comprising a tensile strength of more than about 400 megapascals and an n-value of at least about 0.175. Alternately, the ratio of Al/N may be more than 2.5, and may be more than about 3.
In various embodiments, the steel composition may have molybdenum in an amount up to about 0.5% by weight, copper in an amount up to about 0.8% by weight, phosphorous in an amount up to about 0.1% by weight, and sulfur in an amount up to about 0.03% by weight. In some embodiments, the composition may additionally include titanium in an amount up to about 0.2% by weight, vanadium in an amount up to about 0.2% by weight, niobium in an amount up to about 0.2% by weight, and boron in an amount up to about 0.008% by weight.
Alternately, the dual phase microstructure may have a martensite phase between about 3% by volume and about 35% by volume of the microstructure formed by hot rolling, and more particularly from about 10% by volume to about 28% by volume after hot rolling. In addition or in the alternative, the ferrite phase may be between about 60% and about 90% by volume, or between about 65% and about 85% by volume after hot rolling. The steel sheet may include one or both of a zinc coating or a zinc alloy coating.
The present disclosure provides a steel sheet made by a batch annealing method that comprises: (I) hot rolling a steel slab having the above composition into a hot band at a hot rolling termination temperature in a range between about (Ar3-60)° C. and about 980° C. (1796° F.), (II) cooling the hot band at a mean rate at least about 5° C./s (9° F./s) to a temperature not higher than about 750° C. (1382° F.), (III) coiling the cooled band to form a coil at a temperature higher than the martensite formation temperature, (IV) cooling the coil to a temperature lower than the martensite formation temperature to form a dual phase microstructure comprising a martensite phase of less than 35% by volume and a ferrite phase of more than 50% by volume, (V) cold rolling the band to a desired steel sheet thickness, with a total reduction of at least about 35%, (IV) annealing the cold rolled steel sheet in a batch furnace at a temperature higher than about 500° C. (932° F.) but lower than about the Ac3 temperature for longer than about 60 minutes, and (VII) cooling the annealed steel sheet to a temperature lower than about 400° C. (752° F.).
The steel slab prior to hot rolling may have a thickness between about 25 and 100 millimeters. Alternately, the steel slab may be thicker than 100 millimeters, such as between about 100 millimeters and 300 millimeters, but in such thicker slabs preheating may be needed before hot rolling.
Alternately, the presently disclosed method may comprise: (J) hot rolling a steel slab having the above composition into a hot band at a hot rolling termination temperature in a range between about (Ar3-30)° C. and about 950° C. (1742° F.), (II) cooling the hot band at a mean rate at least about 10° C./s (18° F./s) to a temperature not higher than about 650° C. (1202° F.), (III) coiling the cooled band to form a coil at a temperature higher than the maltensite formation temperature, (IV) cooling the coil to a temperature lower than the martensite formation temperature to form a dual phase microstructure comprising a martensite phase of less than 35% by volume and a ferrite phase of more than 50% by volume, (V) cold rolling the band at about ambient temperature to a desired steel sheet thickness, with a total reduction from about 45% to about 85%, (VI) annealing the cold rolled steel sheet in a batch furnace to a temperature higher than about 650° C. (1202° F.) but lower than about the Ac1 temperature for longer than about 60 minutes up to about 8 days, and (VII) cooling the annealed steel sheet to a temperature lower than about 300° C. (572° F.).
The invention is now discussed in connection with the accompanying Figures and the Examples as best described below.